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The Role of the Structural Transformation in Aggregate Productivity

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Author Info
Margarida Duarte
Diego Restuccia

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Abstract

We investigate the role of sectoral differences in labor productivity in explaining the process of structural transformation - the secular reallocation of labor across sectors - and the time path of aggregate productivity across countries. Using a simple model of the structural transformation that is calibrated to the growth experience of the United States, we measure sectoral labor productivity differences across countries. Productivity differences between rich and poor countries are large in agriculture and services and smaller in manufacturing. Moreover, over time, productivity gaps have been substantially reduced in agriculture and industry but not nearly as much in services. In the model, these sectoral productivity patterns generate implications that are broadly consistent with the cross-country evidence on the structural transformation, aggregate productivity paths, and relative prices. We show that productivity catch-up in industry explains about 50 percent of the gains in aggregate productivity across countries, while low relative productivity in services and the lack of catch-up explains all the experiences of slowdown, stagnation, and decline observed across countries.

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Paper provided by University of Toronto, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number tecipa-348.

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Length: 57 pages
Date of creation: 19 Feb 2009
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:tor:tecipa:tecipa-348

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Related research
Keywords: labor productivity; structural transformation; sectoral productivity; employment; hours; cross-country data;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
O1 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
O4 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Tasso Adamopoulos & Ahmet Akyol, 2009. "Relative Underperformance Alla Turca," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 12(4), pages 697-717, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Ngai, Liwa Rachel & Pissarides, Christopher, 2004. "Structural Change in a Multi-Sector Model of Growth," CEPR Discussion Papers 4763, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Laitner, John, 2000. "Structural Change and Economic Growth," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 67(3), pages 545-61, July.
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  7. Diego Restuccia & Dennis Tao Yang & Xiaodong Zhu, 2003. "Agriculture and Aggregate Productivity: A Quantitative Cross-Country Analysis," Working Papers diegor-03-01, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Berthold Herrendorf & Akos Valentinyi, 2006. "Which Sectors Make the Poor Countries so Unproductive?," 2006 Meeting Papers 304, Society for Economic Dynamics. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Margarida Duarte & Diego Restuccia, 2006. "The Structural Transformation and Aggregate Productivity in Portugal," Working Papers tecipa-261, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Robert E. Lucas Jr., 2000. "Some Macroeconomics for the 21st Century," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 159-168, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Richard Rogerson, 2007. "Structural Transformation and the Deterioration of European Labor Market Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 12889, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Margarida Duarte & Diego Restuccia, 2006. "The productivity of nations," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, issue Sum, pages 195-223. [Downloadable!]
  19. Douglas Gollin & Stephen Parente & Richard Rogerson, 2002. "The Role of Agriculture in Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 160-164, May. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Bah, El-hadj M., 2007. "Structural Transformation in Developed and Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 10655, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Sep 2008. [Downloadable!]
  2. Margarida Duarte & Diego Restuccia, 2007. "The structural transformation and aggregate productivity in Portugal," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 23-46, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Margarida Duarte & Diego Restuccia, 2006. "The productivity of nations," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, issue Sum, pages 195-223. [Downloadable!]
  4. Diego Restuccia, 2008. "The Latin American Development Problem," Working Papers tecipa-318, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Bah, El-hadj M., 2007. "A Three-Sector Model of Structural Transformation and Economic Development," MPRA Paper 10654, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Sep 2008. [Downloadable!]
  6. Badibanga, Thaddee & Diao, Xinshen & Roe, Terry & Somwaru, Agapi, 2008. "Dynamics of Structural Transformation: Understanding the Key Factors That Drive Innovative Activities in Selected Asian and African Countries," Bulletins 43890, University of Minnesota, Economic Development Center. [Downloadable!]
  7. Aoki, Shuhei, 2008. "Was the Barrier to Labor Mobility an Important Factor for the Prewar Japanese Stagnation?," MPRA Paper 8178, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  8. Tasso Adamopoulos & Ahmet Akyol, 2009. "Relative Underperformance Alla Turca," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 12(4), pages 697-717, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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